


Lord Tubbington's Incredible Journey

by pleasanthell



Category: Glee
Genre: F/M, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-03-31
Updated: 2013-03-31
Packaged: 2017-12-07 02:41:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,897
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/743248
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pleasanthell/pseuds/pleasanthell
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A prompt given to hufflepuffandpass on tumblr. I stole it:<br/>Lord Tubbington scratches Sam, then makes an Incredible Journey type trek to New York to get to Santana. He refuses to be put in a pet carrier and be sent back to Lima, so Brittany has to come get him. It's all part of his plan.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Lord Tubbington's Incredible Journey

Lord Tubbington was smarter than most cats. He was more loving that most cats, yet more vicious at the same time. He liked to think that he took after his two favorite humans.

So when things changed, he wasn’t happy. He started acting out. Hiding Brittany’s clothes, and clawing up her homework. He now liked to sit on her laptop while she was working.

And he certainly did not like this boy that came over. Lord Tubbington didn’t know where Santana went, but it seemed that this boy was trying to take her place. So when he came over to see Brittany, Lord Tubbington tried getting between them. It usually worked. Brittany used to say that there was only one man for her and that was Lord Tubbington, and it seemed that now he was at least still her favorite male.

So when they’d kiss, he’d jump into Brittany’s lap and rub his head on her to get her attention. That used to always stop them. Brittany would smile and scratch behind his ears. The boy would just sigh and fall back on the bed. Occasionally Sam would try to keep Lord Tubbington off of the bed and keep him from interrupting. He’d kick Lord Tubbington’s stairs away from the bed or put his leg on the edge so it was harder to get up.

But Lord Tubbington was smarter and stronger than the boy thought. Although, _slightly_ (yes slightly) overweight, Lord Tubbington still had it in him to jump up on the bed when he felt he needed to break something up. Brittany would always pick him up when he jumped from the floor to the bed anyway, telling him how proud she was of him.

But Sam kept coming over and some of Lord Tubbington’s efforts were starting to be without reward. Sometimes Brittany would keep kissing Sam as she pet his fur or Sam would close the door before Lord Tubbington could catch up.

Finally Lord Tubbington knew. Desperate times called for desperate measures. He had a plan. It was going to put everything back the way things were supposed to be.

He stayed up late at night planning and mapping while Brittany slept until he felt he was ready. Finally the day came to execute. When Brittany came home with Sam, Lord Tubbington threw everything at them. He tried tripping Sam. When Sam stumbled, he got a slight glare from the boy, but Lord Tubbington didn’t care. He had a plan. He was sticking to it.

And he stuck to it until Sam tried to push him off of the bed. He was angry so he attacked. He sank his claws into Sam and didn’t stop until he couldn’t scratch anymore. When Brittany reached in, he stopped. He would never scratch her.

Then he nuzzled her. For what may be the last time in a long time, or ever depending on how the plan went. It was a risky endeavor. So he took his time and savored every soft rub and scratch.

When Brittany kissed him, he knew that it was time for him to go. So he leapt out of her arms and ran out of the room. If he timed this right, he could…

As he careened around the corner toward the front door, it was opening. He knew that Brittany’s dad would be home right then so he darted between the man’s legs, out the front door and into the streets.

She could hear Brittany calling him, but he had to keep going. It was for her own good.

Lord Tubbington was glad that he looked at maps and ate a lot before he left. It was a long, long walk to New York. He even resorted to eating out of a dumpster. He would never resort to catching his own food. Sure mice were okay to eat for street cats, but he was a Lord. Not someone to stoop to such carnal brutality.

At night when he’d stop to sleep, he’d remember sleeping next to Brittany. She would always keep her hand on him, softly petting him until she fell asleep. He missed that. But he also missed her being happy. Really, truly happy. All this was for her.

He knew that Santana leaving was hard on Brittany. Their breaking up was hard on Brittany. Even whatever this thing is with Sam is hard on her. He can tell. That’s why when he thought he lost his way, instead of going home, he relied on his cunning and instinct. A keen sense of smell and a sharp mind were enough to take place of the forgotten directions. When it rained, he continued to walk. He hated it. He was miserable, but he was doing this for Brittany. Brittany who always loved him. Brittany who picked him out at the animal shelter days after her was born and nurtured him ever since. Brittany who had become increasingly sad and quiet as days went on even when she put on a brave face. There have only been two living things on earth that are in tune with Brittany. He is one of them.

And about a week later, Lord Tubbington showed up at the doorstep of the other. It took some excellent timing on his part to get into the building and then scratching on a couple wrong doors before walking up the stairs. At the end of the hallway he could smell her.

If cats could smile, he would smile because he finally found her.

He scratched on the door for a little while before the door opened. That one boy that Lord Tubbington had known a while ago opened the door. He looked down at him and said something. Lord Tubbington just sat there. He had faith that Santana would know he was there.

“There’s a cat here,” Kurt looked around.

“Oh – Oh my god,” Santana walked to the door. She scooped up the cat in her arms and let Kurt close the door. “Lord Tubbington, what are you doing here?”

He just nuzzled her neck and lay against her. It was a long, long journey. Some may even call it an incredible journey.

“That’s Lord Tubbington?” Kurt asked. He ducked out into the hallway to see if anyone was with him.

Santana sent Kurt to get some of his favorite cat food and then took him to her room. She laid him down on the bed and rubbed his head. “How did you get here?”

Of course he didn’t answer. He was a cat. So he just purred and stretched out on the bed. It had been too long since he laid on a bed.

As much as he wanted to go to sleep, he couldn’t. He had to make sure that Santana was going to do what he needed her to do.

She picked up her phone and sat on the bed next to him. She stroked his fur and let out a deep sigh. “You’re forcing my hand, LT.”

He purred and moved closer to her. He knew that he was. He knew that she hadn’t talked to Brittany in weeks. And he knew that it could be hard and there could be tears. But he also knew that this was the best way.

She laid her head on the pillow next to him and pressed her phone to her ear. With his superior hearing, Lord Tubbington could hear Brittany answer the phone.

It was sad with a sniffle, “Hello?”

“Hey,” Santana said softly. “Um, are you okay?”

There was another sniffle, “Um, not really, but…what’s up?”

“Britt,” Santana sat up and said quietly, worriedly, “What’s wrong?”

“Lord Tubbington ran away.” The quiet sob that Lord Tubbington heard after that broke his heart. He didn’t know that it would affect Brittany that much.

“I know,” Santana quickly added, “And I was calling to tell you that he’s here. He just showed up here like half an hour ago.”

“He – He what?” Brittany asked.

“He’s right here,” Santana told her.

“Can I see him?” Brittany asked, more hopefully.

Santana agreed and hung up the phone. She got her laptop and picked up Lord Tubbington, putting him in her lap. As soon as she signed in, Brittany called.

“Oh my god,” Brittany looked so happy. There were tears drying on her face. Lord Tubbington briefly nuzzled the screen where Brittany was before settling in Santana’s lap.

“How did he get here?” Santana asked, looking down at the cat in her lap. She stroked him and looked back at Brittany.

Brittany shook her head, “He ran away like a week ago.” She shrugged, “I guess…” She licked her lips and swallowed, “I guess he missed you.”

Santana smiled at Lord Tubbington, “I missed him too.” She looked back at the screen. “I can’t believe he got all the way here. All the way to my apartment.”

“He’s smart,” Brittany looked down at the cat, “How am I going to get him back?”

Santana looked down at him, “I could, um, ship him. You know like we did when your family went to Arizona for the summer. He just gets on the airplane and you pick him up.”

“You’d do that?” Brittany asked.

Santana nodded. “Yeah. Totally.”

Lord Tubbington’s ears perked up. This wasn’t the plan. It wasn’t supposed to happen this way.

“You can do it tomorrow,” Brittany added. “He looks tired.”

“Okay,” Santana scratched his favorite place behind his ear.

Lord Tubbington knew that he couldn’t do anything today, but he had some ideas.

The next day when Santana tried to put him in the pet carrier he freaked out. He ran under the bed and didn’t get out from under it. As tempting as the can of food in the pet carrier was, he knew that his mission was more important than his hunger.

When she reached for him, he’d hiss and swat at her hand, making sure to keep his claws in. He didn’t want to hurt her. She sighed and sat down on the bed. When the pet carrier was put in the closet, Lord Tubbington came out from under the bed. He jumped up on the bed next to Santana and rubbed against her.

“Why are you being like this?” Santana asked him as he rolled onto his back so she could scratch his stomach.

She tried a few more times to get him into the carrier, but it never worked. He was more than persistent that he was not going to be shipped back to Lima.

Santana finally called Brittany, admitting defeat. “He won’t get in the carrier. He keeps running away.”

“Okay,” Brittany finally said and looked down at her cat that was now sitting placidly in Santana’s lap. “I’ll, um…I’ll fly up there this weekend to get him.”

Santana took a deep breath before she nodded. “Okay.”

Lord Tubbington spent the rest of the week in the apartment. He’d lounge around on Santana’s bed and eat the food she left out. He also liked to mess with the other two occupants of the apartment. He’d stare at Rachel until she got creeped out and he’d hide Kurt’s clothes under the couch. Lord Tubbington liked these cheap thrills.

He never pranked Santana. He’d just cuddle with her and listen to her talk at night. It seemed that she had been lonely and missing Brittany. All these things she confessed to him in the thick of the night when she thought he was a sleep, or that he couldn’t understand.

But he did. He was doing this because Brittany had confessed the same things.

The day Brittany was set to arrive, Lord Tubbington sat next to the door after Santana left and when she came back with Brittany, he ran to her. Brittany picked him up and cried because she was so happy to see him.

After a little while, he was getting emotional himself so he jumped out of her arms and trotted to Santana’s room. Brittany and Santana both looked at each other and followed him.

They found him, laying on Santana’s bed. Brittany just smiled and laid down next to him. Lord Tubbington saw Santana stand in the doorway smiling at them.

Lord Tubbington sat up and looked Santana’s way. He’d learned to manipulate both girls over the years and knew that Santana would come to the bed if she thought he was going to leave Brittany’s embrace if she didn’t.

Santana sat down on the other side of him. “How was your flight?”

“It was okay,” Brittany answered. “I don’t really know how long it was or anything. I just wanted to get here.”

Santana nodded. “I get it.”

“Thank you so much for taking care of him,” Brittany buried her face in his soft fur the way she did when she was happy to see him.

“Of course,” Santana added. “Always.”

Brittany propped her head up with her elbow, “I guess he missed you.”

Santana ruffled his fur in a way she knew Lord Tubbington didn’t like, but smile when he tried to shake his fur back into place, “I missed him too.”

They sat in silence for a little while before Santana added, “I, uh, I missed you too.”

“I always miss you,” Brittany answered back in her special, brutally honest, and earnest way.

Santana deeply sighed. She looked away from Brittany and got up off of the bed. “I have to get ready for work.”

Lord Tubbington cuddled with Brittany while Santana was at work. When Santana got home, she laid next to him so that he was between them. She rested her hand on his fur and Brittany had already done the same. Their hands didn’t touch until he moved from his spot and laid at the head of the bed. He never laid at the foot of the bed. He wasn’t a peasant.

When Brittany woke up, Lord Tubbington did as well. He watched her take her hand away from Santana’s only to use it to push some of Santana’s hair away from her face. Her fingers gently traced Santana’s cheek.

Later that day he noticed, Santana touch Brittany’s back when she didn’t have to. When they both watched tv together, Lord Tubbington made them both pet him at the same time before jumping out of the way so their hands touched. They both jerked away initially then blushed at their haste. He jumped into Santana’s lap and rubbed his head on Brittany’s arm. He let Brittany pet him and then laid down on Santana so that Brittany is resting her arm on Santana’s lap.

At dinner, Lord Tubbington ate alone while the girls talked to Kurt and Rachel. Then when they split up to go to their bedrooms, he was right in front of them.

That night, their last night in New York, he knew that he has some major plays to run so he started with Santana. He cuddled up to her when she sat down. He knew that Brittany would sit next to her so that she could pet him. She did miss him so.

Then he closed his eyes and went to sleep between them. Or at least that’s what they thought.

They talked quietly above him while they were so close. He felt them both pet him and their hand met on top of him. He felt their fingers link and then pet him while they were joined. Then he felt their hands stop moving. He looked up to see their lips meet.

He didn’t want to disturb them so he silently moved from between them, hopped off of the bed, and paraded into Rachel’s room. He decided that accomplishing his mission meant he should reward himself with one last cheap thrill.

He managed to crawl up on her dresser and stare at her until she decided that she couldn’t sleep like that. She moved to the couch and turned on the TV. Lord Tubbington hopped down off of the dresser and then onto the bed. He didn’t want to sleep by Rachel. He could hear her tossing and turning all night this past week, so he commandeered the bed for himself.

In the morning she could hear Brittany calling him. He trotted in and found both girls still in bed. They were cuddled together. He hopped up on the bed and settled between them. Not because he wanted to keep them apart, but because he wanted to them to pay attention to him. He was, after all, still a cat.

Then they kissed over him, he knew that he did what he needed to do.

What he didn’t anticipate was Brittany not putting him in the pet carrier and not even attempting to take him home. He didn’t know what he did wrong and spent the next two weeks looking out the window, willing Brittany to return. He’d sleep with Santana at night and didn’t even have the energy to mess with Kurt and Rachel during the day.

That was until Brittany came back. She brought back more bags than she had before and started putting her clothes in the closet, threw her favorite pillow on the bed, and put her favorite DVDs next to the TV. She slept in the same bed as Santana and Lord Tubbington never had to go back to Lima again.


End file.
